LOSC boss Christophe Galtier described the tactical battle that took place in the stunning 3-0 win over Olympique de Marseille, whose playmaker Dimitri Payet had some stern words about his team’s attitude.
Sunday, 30 September, 2018
LOSC 3 – 0 Olympique de Marseille 
Christophe Galtier (LOSC coach): “It was important to keep winning at home [four wins from four], and especially to get a win against a big side, even though Marseille were under-strength. We deserved this win. I saw that Marseille had done their homework on us so I had to activate Plan B, which worked very well in the second half. I have to congratulate my side for their commitment. [On being second after eight rounds] It’s the result of absolute commitment and lots of hard work. But we can’t think that we will dominate matches all the time. However, as long as the players stick to the programme and pull together, we’ll have some great moments.”
Dimitri Payet (Olympique de Marseille forward): “Obviously we could have done much better – I’d say we didn’t concede goals tonight bur rather gave them away. That’s a big difference. I mean, we gave away two penalties and the way we conceded the third goal was not okay. Sure, we had some injury absences, but you have to make do. What bothered me was that the attitude, sacrifice and drive we showed last season is showing up less this time around. You don’t win matches just because you’re wearing an OM jersey. But I’ve said enough – I don’t want to say too much in the heat of the moment. On Thursday we have an important match [against Limassol in the UEFA Europa League] and we’ll wash our dirty laundry in private. I think we’ll have a fair bit to say to each other after a match like that.”
Montpellier Hérault SC 3 – 0 Nîmes Olympique 
Michel Der Zakarian (Montpellier coach): “You have to congratulate the players, they played really well. We dominated the game from start to finish in every area. They had three chances and Benjamin [Lecomte] made three saves. We used the ball really well, we suffocated them. Little by little, our attack is getting into place. There were a lot of changes, the players have to get used to one another. They need time to do that. But the players have a good attitude. I think we could have scored more.”
Bernard Blaquart (Nîmes coach): “In the first half in particular, we were very disappointing. We were a little better in the second, but it wasn’t great either and it was too late. We didn’t perhaps handle well what was happening around the game, the context, Montpellier’s quality, our youth, the bad preparation by me…”
Stade Rennais FC 1 – 1 Toulouse FC 
Sabri Lamouchi (Rennes coach): “There are years like that, moments like that…Once again we led and thought we had done the hardest thing, but it wasn’t the case, despite the numerous chances we had, and despite our man advantage. We didn’t manage to put the game to bed, we didn’t manage to stay high up the pitch, and we have let slip two precious points in our situation. We only have ourselves to blame, because we had a lot of chances. Back choices, lack of luck, three-four great saves from the goalkeeper, but in spite of that, even if we can’t score a second, we can’t concede.”
Alain Casanova (Toulouse coach): “I’m proud of the team, the squad, because they have remarkable and impressive mental qualities. We didn’t play the game we had hoped to play. We’re still lacking confidence when we play a team which has quality, which has good individuals. We struggle to let ourselves go.”
Saturday, September 29, 2018
OGC Nice 0 – 3 Paris Saint-Germain 
Patrick Vieira (Nice coach): “It was complicated. When you lose 3-0, it is difficult. But there is not really much I can reproach my players for. For 15 minutes we played well. Then, when Paris scored, it was difficult. We took a lot of risks, but we didn’t score. They controlled the game with the quality they have. Neymar and Di María posed us a lot of problems tactically. The quality of their team caused problems for us. I was surprised to see them play with three at the back. We tried to adapt to that. Our game plan did not work because we had extraordinary players up against us. (On Balotelli) He came on and it was very difficult for him. Mario missed pre-season so he is behind and still has work to do. It is too early for an appraisal of any kind after eight matches. It could have been worse but it also could have been better.”
Thomas Tuchel (Paris Saint-Germain coach): “(On eight wins from eight) It is incredible because pre-season was very difficult. The team is improving all the time. I am very happy with the mentality and the sprit shown by the team. I appreciated the fact that my players had confidence in me and in my ideas. With three matches in one week, we needed a tactical system and a specific structure to play against Nice, who are very strong with the ball. We needed to ensure we did as little running after the ball as possible. That is why we changed things. The players were very open to it. We trained well yesterday (Friday), with a lot of intensity. And as for the match, the first 15 minutes were very open from both sides. After that we controlled things. But Nice were very good. I know that Marquinhos prefers to play in central defence, but we could not make Marco Verratti start again. After his operation, it was too risky. He and Adrien (Rabiot) played really well. ‘Marqui’ is now much more used to playing in midfield.”
Angers SCO 0 – 1 EA Guingamp 
Stéphane Moulin (Angers coach): “We completely controlled the game in the first half, but we went in at half-time trailing 1-0. When you have that much of a hold on the game you need to be able to take your chances. It was extraordinary for them that they were in front, totally unjustified, but extraordinary. The second half was harder because we needed to open up and we kept getting hit on the break.”
Antoine Kombouaré (Guingamp coach): “I congratulated my players for their work rate above all. It was a great performance, defensively first and foremost, because we gave up very few chances to Angers, who had taken 10 points from 12. We defended superbly. It is true that we could have added to our lead at the end but it was just very important not to concede and we managed to nick the goal that allowed us to leave with three points. This is the reward for the work put in by the players. They have never given up. It is great to see smiles on faces again, to see the scenes of joy and hopefully we have finally kick-started our season.”
SM Caen 1 – 0 Amiens SC 
Fabien Mercadal (Caen coach): “We were all waiting for this victory so there is a huge amount of relief, even if it was not our most complete performance. We asked for very specific things in order to adapt to the strengths of the opposition, and that is not exactly the sexiest way to do things in football. We need to have games like that, where we are more direct, but we need to be capable of killing games off. I think we could have had one victory more when you look at our performances, but as you ask I think the way we are going at the moment is satisfying.”
Christophe Pélissier (Amiens coach): “We conceded a goal at a point where Caen pressed us by playing direct. We made too many technical errors in the first half and it was difficult in our third match in a week. We got our foot on the ball again in the second half but Gnahoré’s sending-off changed our plans for the end of the match. It is frustrating. With the injuries and suspensions, we had a very small squad for this match. I think we also paid for the efforts we put in on Wednesday against Rennes.”
Olympique Lyonnais 1 – 1 FC Nantes 
Bruno Genesio (Lyon coach): “I am more than a little disappointed. We owe it to ourselves to do better against opponents who are in great difficulty. It is not necessarily the result that is disappointing but the performance. It is much the same assessment as before the match at Manchester City. There are good things with the ball and not so many good things – to put it lightly – when we don’t have it. Everyone saw the game. You don’t need your coaching badges to see what happened in the first half. There will come at a time where we need to learn from our errors, otherwise we will never be conscious of the situation we are in. We went in front, but you could sense that Nantes were on top and creating chances. There comes a time in football when you get punished. If you want to play in the Champions League you need to finish in the top three and that means you need to win games like this and not think about the Champions League match you have coming up in two days. I am not annoyed at the players but I am very angry because these are things we harp on about and yet we have the same causes and consequences.”
Miguel Cardoso (Nantes coach): “I feel the same way as I have done in recent days. People said I wasn’t relaxed but I am very relaxed. You need to get to know me and it takes time. I am especially pleased for my players and for my club. Tonight’s game gives me satisfaction because we really stoop up to Lyon, who are a very strong team. We showed talent, desire, a willingness to turn things around. It is only one point, but it is a good result. There is still much to be done because the team has not been working together for long. We have done things well, apart from the game against Dijon which I was not pleased with. I said before the game that I did not want to talk about my situation. I have not read the press for four days now. I ask for respect for my players and for the club.”
Stade de Reims 0 – 0 Girondins de Bordeaux 
David Guion (Reims coach): “There is disappointment, because we wanted to get three points for our fans. The players are disappointed but their commitment and implication were beyond reproach. Once again we fell down with our finishing. I want to force a break with two attackers through the middle in Suk Hyun-jun and Pablo Chavarría, and play more direct, because I knew that as the game went on we would be in the ascendancy given that Bordeaux have played 15 matches. We struggled to find the solution going forward, but the commitment of the players is good. We will find the solution together.”
Éric Bédouet (Bordeaux coach): “Our attacking players needed a rest, because they have given an awful lot since the beginning. It was our 15th match of the season. We needed to rotate, we had no choice, but it allowed us to see some other players. Defensively we held firm. We know Reims are not an easy side to play against. They are aggressive and still on a positive dynamic from winning promotion. We are satisfied. This week we have got back on track in the league and we want to play in Europe. We might be the least illustrious team in our group but we need to win at home.”
RC Strasbourg Alsace 3 – 0 Dijon FCO 
Thierry Laurey (Strasbourg coach): “The victory was deserved but we did not always control the match. Getting the early goal allowed us to sit back a little as long as we did not make any defensive mistakes. We tried to close the game down first and foremost. This game can help us to have more confidence in our own ability. The important thing is that we did not concede, which is not by the by for us. It has been a very good week in terms of performances. We would have liked to take something against Marseille but we have won two important matches against teams of a similar calibre to us.”
Olivier Dall’Oglio (Dijon coach): “We are just not progressing anywhere at the moment. We are conceding goals, struggling to score. We are not going to get alarmed. The boys are fighting hard, trying to lift their spirits, but it is not enough and there is a lot of naivety in our game at the moment. We had good spells in the second half and pushed forward, but Strasbourg defended well. We need to lift ourselves. I hope we will come through this.”
Friday, September 28, 2018
AS Saint-Etienne 2 – 0 AS Monaco
Jean-Louis Gasset (Saint-Étienne coach): “I had said that our game was improving and we have just played a really good game. That confirms my impression. I liked the quality of the play, especially in the first half even if Monaco had some chances. The game was a bit crazy with chances at both ends. We didn’t concede a goal and Stéphane Ruffier was phenomenal. Everyone was getting alarmed after the loss to Paris, but I knew we needed time. In seven days, we have taken nine points and we’re back near the top of the league.”
Leonardo Jardim (Monaco coach): “It’s a match in which we improved in comparison that against Angers. We didn’t get a shot on target, but against Saint-Étienne, we had some very good situations. The Saint-Étienne goalkeeper made some good saves. Physically, the team was good. That’s why we changed the system. Defensively, we made mistakes and paid dearly, especially on the first goal from Khazri. We need to pay more attention in situations like that. The team showed a good attitude. When you have five or six opportunities away from home, you should score two or three goals, but the players are short of confidence.”
Be the first to comment